MLB Player News

Borucki (elbow) is scheduled to resume playing catch Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Borucki began experiencing left elbow tightness earlier this month and was shut down for 10 days, so it appears he's avoided any further issues. The 25-year-old was limited to two games in 2019 due to elbow issues and eventually underwent surgery in August to remove bone spurs, so it's worth keeping an eye on his progress as he resumes his throwing program and eventually competes for the No. 5 starter role.

Graveman (elbow) is scheduled to start Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Graveman signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Mariners in November after missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery in July 2018, and he's set to debut for the team in its third spring game. The 29-year-old made a good early impression in camp and should be in the mix for a spot in Seattle's starting rotation with a decent showing in spring training.

Hand is taking more trips to the training room in an effort to keep his arm fresh, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Hand started the 2019 campaign in exceptional form, converting his first 22 save chances successfully while holding opposing batters to a .161 batting average. However, he faltered once the calendar flipped to July, blowing four saves in 15 chances while posting a 4.91 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. Hand noted that his high volume -- he's made 283 appearances across the last four seasons -- may be catching up to him, so he's taken more care to keep his arm fresh this spring.

Manager Mike Matheny said that Lopez is in line to start Friday's Cactus League opener against the Rangers, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Lopez will get his first opportunity to stake a claim to an Opening Day rotation spot after he flitted back and forth between starting and relief duty during a mostly turbulent 2019 season. He was similarly ineffective in both capacities, posting a 6.57 ERA and .374 wOBA across 86.1 innings as a starter and a 5.79 ERA and .327 wOBA over 37.1 innings out of the bullpen. Securing a starting role would enhance Lopez's fantasy appeal, but he'll merely be an AL-only consideration until he delivers better results at the big-league level.

Smeltzer is scheduled to start Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the Pirates, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Smeltzer will face off against Mitch Keller to kick off Grapefruit League play. Across 11 appearances (six starts) with the Twins in 2019, the southpaw recorded a 3.86 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 38:12 K:BB in 49.0 innings.

Richards will start Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the Red Sox, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Richards made 30 appearances, including 23 starts, between Miami and Tampa Bay in 2019, posting a 4.06 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 127:56 K:BB in 135.1 innings. Given the Rays' starting pitching depth, Richards seems likely to open the season in a multi-inning relief role.

Swanson, who is recovering from a mid-back strain, threw a 25-pitch bullpen session without issue Tuesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander began experiencing discomfort back in mid-January while working out at home in North Dakota, and the issue currently has him a few days behind the rest of his fellow pitchers. However, given the positive results of Tuesday's bullpen, Swanson is now set throw another bullpen and a live batting practice before jumping into Cactus League action.

Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke was asked twice last week about his plans for the fifth starter spot, and he mentioned Weber in both of his answers, Stevie Hewitt of the Boston Herald reports. "He's a guy I like because he's right at you," Roenicke said. "He throws strikes. When his command's good, he gets some easy outs and it's fun to watch him. So we'll figure it out. But I think there's a few guys. It's not just one or two guys."

Boston has a glaring hole at the back end of the rotation with David Price traded to Los Angeles as part of the Mookie Betts deal. The in-house options are underwhelming, and it seems Weber may be atop the list for now. The 29-year-old Weber is more of a finesse pitcher who relies on his sinker to generate weak contact, with little swing-and-miss to his game (career 14.8 K%). He had a 7.94 ERA in his three starts for the Red Sox last season.

Harvey (illness) was present Wednesday for the Orioles' full-squad workout, but he didn't take part in any throwing, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

The Orioles are likely just easing Harvey back in with cardio work and fielding drills after he missed the past few days of workouts with the illness. More importantly, the oft-injured 25-year-old reported to camp without any arm-related concerns, so he looks like he'll have a legitimate chance to make the Opening Day roster for the first time. Harvey likely won't be given a look in the closer's role to begin the 2020 season, but if healthy, his big fastball could allow him to quickly claim a key late-inning role for the Orioles.

Astros pitching coach Brent Strom said Tuesday that he is "really high" on Abreu as a prospect, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

When asked who among the team's prospects could be a sleeper, Strom named Abreu. Strom did not include Abreu among the "realistic" candidates for the No. 5 rotation spot out of camp, but he said he thinks Abreu "can be an exceptional major-league starting pitcher" down the line. Abreu debuted last season at the age of 22 and averaged 95.1 mph on his fastball, with a 19.2 percent swinging-strike rate in his small sample (8.2 innings).